Toothbrush with removable head



April 1954 Y H. G. STRONG 2,675,573

'TOOTHBRUSH WITH REMOVABLE HEAD Filed Oct. 7, 1949 @WWEMflgnh FIG.3. ,8

r ,JQ H v i 4 E INVENTOR Patented Apr. 20, 1954 TOOTHBRUSH WITH REMOVABLE HEAD Harris George Strong, Riverdale, N. Y., assignor of fifty per cent to Harry A. Goldberg, New

York, N. Y.

Application October 7, 1949, Serial No. 120,171

6 Claims.

This invention relates generally to brushes and more particularly to toothbrushes.

Toothbrushes as heretofore constructed have a number of serious disadvantages. One of these is that as the bristles lose their resiliency and cleaning power, it becomes necessary to replace not only the bristles but the entire brush including the handle thus involving waste with a consequent expense. Another disadvantage of prior art toothbrush constructions lies in the fact that the bristle arrangement with respect to the handle is not conveniently adjustable.

It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to provide a novel and useful toothbrush construction wherein the brush element may be easily replaced when the bristles have lost their efficiency.

Another object herein lies in the provision of structure of the class described wherein the brush element is securely connected, in a rotatable manner, to the handle element at all times except when the brush element and the handle element are in a pre-determined position with respect to each other which position is critical.

Another object herein lies in the provision of toothbrush construction wherein the brush element may be placed in a most desirable position with respect to the handle element so that the teeth of the user may be properly brushed in accordance with accepted procedure of the dental profession, and such positioning of the brush element may be made quickly and easily to accommodate the toothbrush for use by left-handed or right-handed persons.

Another object herein lies in the provision of a toothbrush having the above described characteristics which may be readily fabricated on large scale at low cost with a consequent wide sale, distribution and use.

These objects and other incidental ends and advantages will more fully appear in the progress of this disclosure and be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings similar reference characters. designate corresponding parts throughout the f.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of a locking elep In accordance with the invention the toothbrush comprises broadly a brush element 12, a head element [4, a locking element l6 and a handle element I8.

The brush element l2 includes a bristle mounting member 20 and a plurality of tufts 22 each containing a number of bristles 24. The bristle mounting member is preferably of elongated shape and includes a front end wall 26, a rear end wall 21, side walls 28 and 29, a bottom wall 30, a pair of rabbets 3| and 32 and a top wall 33. The top wall is provided with a depression 34. The rabbets 3| and 32 give the side walls 28 and 29 a rib formation.

The head element l4 includes a front end wall 39, a rear end wall 31 side walls 38 and 39, a bottom Wall 49, internal grooves 4| and 42, an upper wall 43 and an aperture 44 and ledges 45 and 4B. The size of the head element I4 is preferably such that it may contain the brush element 12 exclusive of the tufts 22 and so that the front wall 26 and rear wall 21 may be ccterminus with the front wall 39 and the rear wall 3'! respectively. The riblike formations of the side walls 28 and 29 are slidably disposed within the grooves 4i and 42.

The locking element It is of irregular configuration, best seen in the drawings and includes an axle 49 and a key member 49. The key member 49 is of non-circularconfiguration which is asymmetric with respect to the axis of the axle 48. The external size of the key member 49 is such that it may slidably pass through the aperture 44. Thus (Figure 3) the aperture 44 may have a front edge 50, a rear edge 5| and side edges 52 and 53 while the key member may have corresponding edges 69 to 63 inclusive. Disposed below the aperture 44 and communicating directly therewith is a hollow cylinder 56 with which the front wall 60 of the key member, 49 may be in close proximity or have slidable contact. The upper wall 43 directly overlyin the cylinder 56 therefore forms a shoulder which prevents the handle element l8 from being separated from the head element l4 unless the handle element and the key member 49 are in the critical position shown in Figure 3 (dot dash and full lines respectively). When the head element l4 and handle'element l8 and the key 49 are rotated to any other position throughout 1360 (one position being shown by the dash double total lines on Figure 3) and projection 55 (Fig. 5) on the end portion of the key member engages depression 34, the parts cannot be separated.

The end or bottom surface 54 of the key member 49 is provided with the projection 55 which corresponds to the depression 34. The said projection and depression form means for preventing movement of the brush element l2 longitudinally of the head element M.

The handle element l8 at the grasping portion may be of any desired or conventional configuration. The forWa-rd portion 66 is provided with an orifice 61 and a counterbore 68. A

plug 69 has a recess 10 which is adaptad to receive the upper end of the axle 48 as a forced fit and the orifice 6'! is likewise adapted to receive the axle 49 as a forced fit. While the outer surface of the axle 48 is shown .as smooth, it may have a roughened surface to strengthen the joint between it and the handle element is as well as the plug 69. It is to be noted that the locking element 16 is stationary with respect to the handle element 18 and other wellknown means may be used to secure it upon said handle. The handle element [8 is preferably provided with an offset portion i! so that the forward end is displaced downwarzfly as viewed in Figure 2 from the plan of the rear portion 65. This provides for greater facility in use.

It may thus be seen that the replacement of a brush element 12, when required, is a simple matter. When the parts are in the position shown in Figures 2 to 4 inclusive, the handle element and key member 49 may be elevated slightly so that the projection 55 disengages the depression 36. The brush element may now be slid forwardly or rearwardly and a new one substituted. When the new brush element is properly centered the handle and key member are pushed down to reengage the projection 55 and a slight rotation of the handle element in either direction as indicated by the arrows places the brush in operative condition again.

It may thus be seen that I have disclosed a novel and useful toothbrush, construction permitting greater facility, convenience and economy in use.

While I have shown the aperture at as having its greatest length lying in the direction of the greatest length of the head element i i, this is a matter of choice and where it is desired to have the orientation of the handle element 18 difierent at the time of engagement and disengagemtnt of the parts, this may be accomplished in manufacture by a change in the relative position of said aperture or change in the relative position of the locking element.

I wish it is to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. Toothbrush construction comprising: a head element having an aperture; a brush element movably associated with said head element; a handle element; a locking element connected to said handle element and projected through said aperture and being detachably engaged with said head element and said brush element.

2. Toothbrush construction comprising: a head element having an aperture and a shoulder bordering said aperture; a brush element movably associated with said head element; a locking element having a lateral projection, insertable through said aperture and positionable between said shoulder and said brush element, said locking element being detachably engaged with said head element and said brush element.

3. Toothbrush construction comprising: a head element having a non-circular aperture and a shoulder bordering said aperture; a brush element movably connected to said head element and adapted for movement in a pre-determined plane; a locking element having a laterally extending key member, and insertable into said aperture by a movement at an angle with respect to said plane; said key member being rotatable to a position between said. shoulder and said brush element; and means interengaging said locking element and said brush element for restricting movement of the brush element in said plane.

4. Brush construction comprising: a head element having a non-circular aperture and a shoulder bordering said aperture; a brush element movably connected to said head element, and adapted for movement in a predetermined plane; a locking element having a laterally extending key member; a handle secured to said locking element; said locking element and handle being rotatable as a unit with respect to said head element about a pre-determined axis whereby the key member may engage an inner surface of said shoulder; and means on the locking element for detachably engaging said brush element to prevent movement thereof while it is in the head element.

5. Toothbrush construction comprising: a head element having a non-circular aperture, and a shoulder bordering said apertin'e; a brush element movab-ly connected to said head element, and adapted for movement in a predetermined plane; a locking element having a laterally extending key member, and insertable into said aperture by a movement at an angle with respect to said plane; said key member being rotatable to a position between said shoulder and said brush element; and means interengaging said locking element and said brush element for restricting movement of the brush element in said plane; said means including a projection upon said key member engageable with a corresponding depression in said brush element.

6. Brush construction comprising: a head element having a non-circular aperture and a shoulder bordering said aperture; a brush element movably connected to said head element; a locking element having, a laterally extending key member; a handle secured to said locking element; said locking element and handle being rotatable as a unit with respect to said head element about a predetermined axis whereby the key member may engage an inner surface of said shoulder; and means on the locking element for detachably engaging said brush element to prevent movement thereof while it is connected to the head element; said means including a projection extending from the end portion of said key member engageable with a corresponding detent in said brush element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany of 1913 

